post 2: Rinjani

August 13th

Before I start I wanted to say how incredibly proud I am of Amie and Alex.  The next four days were extraordinary and they were utterly amazing.   They kept their sense of humour and never gave up, I didn't know that at seven and eight years old that would have managed to achieve what they did.  It's easy to get caught up in day-to-day life in the UK... from home, to school to clubs to home again.  There is inevitably a lot of ....hurry up we are late for school, have you cleaned your teeth, have you done your homework, say thank you, where are your rugby boots etc.   This trip really showed what we could achieve together.

Anyway.. Rinjani is the second highest peak in Indonesian. It rises to 3726m with a crater 6 x 8.5 km wide. It last erupted in 2010.  The night before Katni advised that we begin our ascent from Senaru through the tropical forest, rather than the easterly approach through savanna grassland (very dry and hot).

Mr Dee brought us banana pancakes for breakfast and we finished packing. We had brought torches, woolly hats and gloves, energy tablets and all sorts for the trek but had to carry them. Needless to say, Alex wanted the large trendy trekking rucksack....which he managed to carry for all of ten minutes. I managed to finish packing but disastrously  couldn't find all the extra socks in what became a rush (we ended up bare foot at the end...),

We hitched a lift up to the the Rinjani Country Park entrance, registered, and started walking. Katni had brought along a trainee guide called Neep - she was lovely very young and smiley and became Amie's pal.  The first part of the trek is through wild coffee, caco, cotton, soya and cloves which then leads into tropical forest, Everything you learn about in geography, buttress roots, lianas, high up tree canopies filled with monkeys chattering and bees the size of coachroaches!.

The tree roots were massive and the path weaved its way up, up, up though them. The kids were great, it was a steep and tricky climb and they took a few tumbles  Alex did say ten minutes in..this is a bad idea, I want to go back to Mr Dee's but then got distracted by finding the best hiking stick - an argument that went on with Amie pretty much the whole four days..

After four hours solid climb we stopped for lunch at base camp 2.  Here we met our porters Kir (the boss), and Mr Cook and Little Cook (as named by the kids).  These guys are tough, they carry massive baskets lashed to a bamboo stick up and down the mountain, day in, day out, in flip flops. They were a great bunch and were so fantastic with the children.  Katni had organised the extra porter for us to help (you would normally have two).  We had hot tea, rice and vegetables.    The kids sat down for ten minutes and then were running around the camp like a couple of monkeys. Katni fixed up a bamboo pole with water bottles and they pretended to be porters which made the real porters all cackle a lot.

We set off again up - up - up through the clouds. Amie couldn't believe it, but they are not made of anything Mummy - it's just air?! We set off half an hour before the porters.  They had a coffee, cleared up and passed us in no time.  After another few hours climbing we passed base camp  3 and broke through the forest into grassy savannah above the clouds.  Steep powdery mud and grass with random trees. This was tough going as often you took one step forward and two back.  We finally stopped and made camp after four hours.  We camped on a small plateau, looking down over the clouds and forest. You could see the sea in the far distance and Mount Agung - the highest peak in Bali.

The kids loved the tent. A cosy two man with thick mats, sleeping bags and blow up pillows!  The porters made a tent out of the bamboo poles they carry and a tarpaulin. Inside they had two gas burners and all sorts off food.  The kids were starving - they had chicken, rice and vegetables.  Katni and I had both brought additional food. Katni was great she carried lots off snacks in a little bag outside her rucksack for them (chocolate, crisps etc).  It started to get really cold as the sun went down so we turned in.  I did try and get them clean but with no water for washing there is only so much you can do with a babywipe.  The thick dust was slacked onto our legs and arms mashed in with sweat from the journey through the forest..nice...You couldn't actually tell what colour our trainers and socks were. It was very cosy but I spent all night worrying about Alex who insisted on sleeping with no extra clothes...grrr

Next morning we could hear the porters all chatting and cooking around 6am. Alex bounced out of bed and couldn't wait to get up.  I had to insist on a woolley hat, two jumpers and a windsheeter as it was freezing.  We had thick salty pancakes for breakfast with chocolate sauce (which met Amie's approval) and strong black Lombok coffee (which met my approval!).

Whilst everyone packed up - Alex played 'hit a stone' with little cook and Neep.  Little cook won - five hits out of five. Much to Alex's disgust. The kids also saw wild rabbits and later a red eagle riding the thermals.

We set off again at around 8am. Up through more thick sand - really tough going. Amie took a bad tumble but was ok.  We made it to the crater rim two hours later. The last bit meant climbing up rocks.  The view was incredible. The kids made it up first with Neep and were screaming ..mummy we can see it...we can see the lake...it's enormous.  Mummy you are going the wrong way...up here...mummy why are you so slow...you are always last....ahhhhhh!!!

The children really wanted to go down into the crater to the lake and hot springs.  Katni had discussed it with the porters and they decided that we should camp on the rim and go down and come back that day rather than camp by the lake.  It was a huge ask for the children but little cook would wait with the kit and Kir and Mr Cook come down with us - one porter for each child.  It worked well as Kir and Mr Cook were able to man handle the kids down to the crater lake. You could see why they were needed it was vertical in some parts, climbing down steep rocks.  They were really amazing and the children were still in good spirits after the 3 hour climb down (on top of the earlier two hour climb up to the crater rim...).

The lake was beautiful and deep blue with trees all along it's banks.  Alex was fascinated in how the porters could fish with rods made from sticks.  We swam in the hot springs - very hot - too hot for Amie and had a good wash. We kind of good - how clean can you get in sulphurous water reached by thick grey mud.  There were other trekkers there jumping from the top of the springs - which, Alex of course wanted to try ....er no !

We had spaghetti with sauce and fruit by the lake - the children were great we stopped on the way back round the lake and Katni made them fishing rods which they loved.  There were no complaints. however, on the way back up I took one look at them both and said they needed help, So I took charged, I took the the cooker, Katni the massive water canister, poor Neep a big bag of food (which she carried on her head smiling, always smiling) and the porters each piggy backed a child.  Kir shot up the mountain with Alex laughing away. Mr Cook was slower (but not much !).  They then did a little piggy back and a little walking. It would have been too much all the way, but it gave the children enough of a break to carry on.  I was, of course, way behind, it was a bldy big cooker !

I will always remember hearing Alex yelling ...Hati...Hati everybody...(be careful..everybody) up the mountain and Kir saying 'Teri Makasi' Alec (thank you Alec) and Alex yelling sama sama ! (you are welcome!).

At one point I was yelling up the mountain ..Amie let Mr Cook carry you and I got back ...'don't be a doughnut mummy - you can't carry here it's too steep....!' which echoed its way down the crater rim.

Four hours later we all made it back up to the crater rim.  All very, very tired but in good form.  The kids had more spaghetti for tea and we watched the sun go down over Bali. They were amazed how brilliant red it was. We also had a great camp fire which the porters all huddled round chatting and smoking. We were all very filthy from the scramble up out of the crater.  I did what and gace teh kids the last clean socks. I slept in my dirty ones - I could feel the grit crunching between my toes......

As we were going to sleep Alex said 'so mummy can we climb Everest next.....'  er let me think for a minute ....NO we cannot. 'But why not, you say we can do anything if we put our minds to it?' um because it's massive, freezing cold and you need to be a grown up...' ah ok,,,on my 18th birthday then....'  ok Alex - go to sleep sweetheart it's late...(but the answer is still no).